School lesson: Don't yell, run over spilled milk

Jeff Burton

Northwest Indiana Times

Thursday, April 14, 2011 8:16 pm

VALPARAISO | A 12-year-old student at Benjamin Franklin Middle School could face juvenile probation after a Tuesday altercation with the school resource officer.

According to Valparaiso police, the officer was monitoring the sixth grade lunch period Tuesday when a boy began arguing with a staff member who wanted the boy to clean up milk spilled across his table.

The officer said as he approached the boy, he kept yelling at the staff member. The officer said he repeatedly asked the boy to calm down and help clean the mess he created, but the boy started yelling at him.

After exhausting every warning, the officer told the boy he had to go with him to the principal's office. As he began escorting the boy, the officer said the boy continued yelling at him and tried pulling away from him a few times.

The officer said the boy eventually got away from him and began running through the hallways, nearly running into students.

Catching up with the boy, the officer said he wrapped his arms around him to stop him. The boy continued trying to pull away, the officer said, and eventually both wound up on the floor near the school's gymnasium, where the boy was handcuffed.

The officer took the boy to the school's office, where a teacher helped calm him down.

The boy was released to his father, police said. The matter was referred to the Juvenile Probation office for review.